Regional Analysis of Ecosystem Structure and Function in the Central Grasslands Regions of the United States

其中一个最重要的障碍， 生态学家为理解和解决问题做出贡献 与全球变化相关的是， 生态系统的结构和动态， 这些问题。 到目前为止，生态学家还没有充分利用 其余国家采用的方法和取得的进展， 地球科学界。 作为增长过程中的一步， 生态学家与其他地球生物交流研究成果的能力 科学家，该项目将进行区域分析， 美国中部的草原。 的目标 分析是为了了解生态系统的现状， 评估其对气候变化的潜在反应， 管理变革。 该方法将涉及构建一个 区域数据库，从统计上评价 数据库中的生物和非生物变量， 评估该区域现状的模拟模型， 了解气候变化对区域的潜在影响 变化

One of the most significant impediments to the ability of ecologists to contribute to understanding and solving issues associated with global change is the inability to characterize ecosystem structure and dynamics at scales that are relevant to those issues. To date, ecologists have not taken full advantage of the approaches used and advances made by the remainder of the earth science community. As a step in the process of increasing, the ability of ecologists to exchange results with other earth scientists, this project will conduct a regional analysis of the central grasslands of the United States. The objectives of the analysis are to understand the current state of ecosystems in the region and to evaluate their potential responses to climate and management change. The approach will involve constructing a regional database, statistically evaluating relationships among biotic and abiotic variables in the database, and using simulation models to assess the current state of the region and to understand the potential regional consequences of climate change.